MBB Releases 2011-12 Non-Conference Schedule - For second straight season, Baylor will play Ferrell Center record-tying 18 home games.¬† Nine home games, a neutral-site matchup against Mississippi State in Dallas and a pair of trips out west highlight the Baylor men's basketball non-conference schedule released Thursday. The non-conference schedule was initially rolled out Thursday morning on Baylor's social media channels with a four-part video series featuring A.J. Walton, Perry Jones III, Fred Ellis, Quincy Miller and Deuce Bello.¬† Five teams among Baylor's 14-game non-conference slate appeared in either the NCAA Tournament (San Diego State, BYU) or NIT (Northwestern, Texas Southern, Bethune-Cookman) last season. Three more possible Las Vegas Classic opponents - Missouri State (NIT), Saint Mary's (NIT) and West Virginia (NCAA) - also advanced to the postseason in 2011.¬†¬† READ MORE

Men's Hoops to Play in 2011 Las Vegas Classic - The first two games will be at campus sites and the final two Dec. 22-23 in Las Vegas.¬† The Baylor men's basketball team will be one of eight schools participating in the 2011 iBN Sports Las Vegas Classic, which will be held December 22-23 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The Bears were originally scheduled to play in the Charleston Classic, but have pushed that tournament appearance back one season.¬† Each team will play four games; the first two games will be played at campus sites with the final two rounds played in Las Vegas. Joining Baylor in the field is West Virginia, Saint Mary's, Missouri State, Bethune-Cookman, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Kennesaw State and Tennessee Tech.¬†¬† READ MORE

Six Bears Sign NFL Contracts - Six former Baylor football players took advantage of the end of the NFL lockout by signing professional contracts Thursday -- the first day NFL teams were able to sign undrafted free agents.¬† All-Big 12 safety Byron Landor inked with the New York Jets, tight end Brad Taylor signed with the San Diego Chargers, defensive back Antareis Bryan became a Chicago Bear, linebacker Chris Francis agreed to terms with the Oakland Raiders, defensive back Tim Atchison signed with the St. Louis Rams, according to a tweet from the Killeen Daily Herald and punter Derek Epperson confirmed that he accepted an offer from the Arizona Cardinals.¬†¬† READ MORE

Win an iPad2 With 'Where in Waco is RG3' Promo - Scavenger hunt to find RG3 to be held in Waco, Aug. 2-9.¬† Baylor fans be on the lookout for 'Where in Waco is RG3' scavenger hunt next week with an iPad2 as the grand prize.¬† The Baylor Athletic Department is hosting a scavenger hunt in Waco, Aug. 2-9. Ten locations around Waco have been selected for the Where in Waco is RG3 contest. At these 10 locations, stickers will be placed on the entry doors providing code letters and a clue to the next location. You can get these code letters and clues by scanning the QR code on a smart phone. For those who don't have a smart phone, a unique email address is listed on each sticker as well.¬† An Apple iPad2 will be awarded as the grand prize drawn from those who complete the hunt. Other winners will receive autograph jerseys, tickets to the Baylor vs. Texas Tech game at Cowboys Stadium and much more. Daily prizes will also be awarded to those who play. Follow along on Baylor Athletics official Facebook page where the daily winners will be announced.¬†¬† READ MORE

UT pitcher Jungmann named Big 12 male athlete of year - Texas Longhorn pitcher Taylor Jungmann was named the Big 12 Conference's male athlete of the year on Friday. He became the first baseball player to receive the honor in the 15-year history of the league.¬† Three other Longhorns ‚ÄĒ all football players ‚ÄĒ previously won the award: running back Ricky Williams (1998-99), linebacker Derrick Johnson (2004-05) and quarterback Vince Young (2005-06). Overall, the award had been given to nine football players, two basketball players, two wrestlers and one golfer.¬†¬† READ MORE

Smith signs with Panthers - Former Longhorns tight end Greg Smith has signed a free-agent contract with the Carolina Panthers.¬† Smith is the sixth Longhorn to sign a free-agent deal since the NFL lockout ended.¬†¬† READ MORE

Horns, U.S. Junior National Team fall to Brazil, will compete for bronze at FIVB Championship - Freshman Haley Eckerman records 25 points and sophomore Hannah Allison (pictured) registers 20 assists as Team USA falls to Brazil, 3-2.¬† The Longhorn trio of sophomore Hannah Allison, freshman Haley Eckerman, freshman Madelyn Hutson and the U.S. Women's Junior National Team lost its battle against Brazil 25-15, 25-19, 20-25, 20-25, 16-14 on Saturday evening in the second semifinal match of the 2011 FIVB Volleyball Women's Junior World Championships in Lima Peru.¬† Eckerman currently ranks third among all players at the championship with 113 points and ranks sixth with her 38.13 kill percentage.¬† Team USA played a hard fought match and bounced back after losing the first two sets to win the third and fourth sets. In the fifth set, the teams were tied at 14-all, but Brazil brushed by to win the set and match 16-14.¬† The U.S. team now holds an overall 4-3 tournament record and will play China in the bronze medal match in Lima at 2 p.m. Central on July 31.¬†¬† READ MORE

Big 12 Conference announces new branding campaign - The Big 12 Conference has announced a new branding and imaging campaign to debut with the start of the 2011 season.¬† The Big 12 Conference, in conjunction with its football media days in Dallas, has announced a new branding and imaging campaign to debut with the start of the 2011 season.¬† The campaign will focus on "How We Play" in the Big 12 and highlight the core purpose of the Conference. Its primary attention will be on three features of the league that make it unique -- fierce rivalries, heartland values and one true champion.¬† "How We Play will showcase the strengths and uniqueness of Big 12 membership as we move forward into our bright and stable future," said Commissioner Dan Beebe. "It will allow us to continue our place as one of the nation's premier intercollegiate athletic conferences."¬† The initiative highlights the rivalries among Big 12 institutions and the fact they will only intensify by playing every team on an annual basis. A second component focuses on the heartland values of middle America -- competitiveness, integrity, mutual respect, and the value of education. The third point stresses that with full round-robin scheduling, the Big 12 will crown one true champion.¬†¬† READ MORE

Meet the freshmen Q&A: Kendall Thompson - LB Kendall Thompson from Carthage, Texas, is one of the members of the 2011 freshmen class.¬† Why did you choose to attend the University of Texas?¬† They treat you just like a family down here. I‚Äôve wanted to attend here ever since I was a little kid. Academics wise, they‚Äôre good and they‚Äôre good in football, too. So it‚Äôs all you want in a college.¬† What are your thoughts concerning head coach Mack Brown?¬† He‚Äôs like a father figure. He treats you just like family. His wife treats you just like family, so it‚Äôs a good combination.¬†¬† READ MORE

Volleyball Season Opener Less Than a Month Away - The start of the Texas A&M volleyball season is less than a month away as the Aggies open the 2012 campaign by hosting the Texas A&M Invitational, August 26-27, at Reed Arena.¬† The season-opening home tournament and an overall 13-match home slate, including an exhibition match against the Israel national team, highlight the 2011 schedule. The Aggies also will compete in tournaments hosted by Portland, Stephen F. Austin and Michigan, in addition to playing 16 Big 12 Conference matches.¬†¬† READ MORE

Arkansas' Wilson embraces pressure, expectations - It's a scene Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson knows well -- and one he believes has prepared him to lead the Razorbacks this fall.¬† Nearly 200 football players gather at midfield following a morning workout inside Smith-Robinson Stadium. Greenwood High coach Rick Jones looks around, appraising sun-drenched players showing the effects of the heat rising from the artificial turf.¬† Some parents make their way from the bleachers or sidelines to catch a few words of Jones' parting words for the day, almost like a flock following its leader at a Sunday morning church service. To compare Jones to a pastor isn't off base. At least not in this town of nearly 9,000 people on the western edge of the state, a short drive from neighboring Oklahoma.¬†¬† READ MORE

Pac-12 Network Is Awesome - NY Times Article:¬† Going to be 6 regional channels containing two schools each (Washington, Oregon, Northern and Southern California, Arizona and Mountain), and one national channel.¬† That in of itself is pretty cool, and this network will broadcast olympic sports that traditionally get little or no TV exposure.¬† On the big end, however:¬† All [regional channels] will carry national programming, including 35 football games, more than 100 men‚Äôs basketball games.¬†¬† READ MORE

Is Realignment Coming to a Conclusion? - Rumors continue to surface about Texas A&M and other Big 12 schools looking at other conference options as ESPN and Texas move forward with plans to broadcast high school games on the Longhorn Network. Aggie Websider's David Sandhop gives you the latest including details that this issue could come to a head quickly.¬† The realignment rumors at Texas A&M just won‚Äôt die. After resting in dormancy for over a year, the ‚ÄúTexas A&M to the SEC‚ÄĚ rumors were resurrected once again earlier this month when ESPN purchased a Big 12 tier two game from Fox Sports for its fledgling and flailing Longhorn Network (LHN) and decided to expand its programming by broadcasting high school games that feature Longhorn signees, commits, and targets.¬†¬† READ MORE

Ags Get Commit From 2013 ATH - Ty Slanina ATH 6'0 180 East Bernard committed to the Ags today. Slanina plays QB and safety for East Bernard High School. As a sophomore Slanina won the 2A state titles in the long jump with a leap of 23 feet 9 inches. Slanina has exceptional speed and projects as a safety for the Ags. He is one of the fastest athletes in the state and is a great pick up for the Ags.¬†¬† READ MORE

Meet The Two-Deep: Marcus Kennard - Daily Feature on Red Raider Football with Marcus Kennard.¬† What goes through your mind when running onto the field with the team on a gameday?¬† "On gameday, I wasn't here on gameday this year but on the spring game I was hyped. I was ready to play. I was ready to do something good on the field."¬† What is your favorite thing about being a Red Raider?¬† "My favorite thing now is just being around all the teammates and stuff and the coaches."¬† Is there a motto or phrase you live by?¬† "Get better everyday."¬†¬† READ MORE

Meet The Two-Deep: Alex Chester - Daily Feature on Red Raider Football with Alex Chester.¬† What goes through your mind when running onto the field with the team on a gameday?¬† "Not much, really. Just got to stay focused, keep my mind on the goal."¬† What is your favorite thing about being a Red Raider?¬† "The traditions, the fans, the gamedays, it's something else, and when we win."¬† Is there a motto or phrase you live by?¬† "Not really, just do the best I can do. The rest is in God's hands."¬† What is your personal goal for this season?¬† "Do the best I can do, really."¬†¬† READ MORE

Cameron Forte Joins Red Raider Basketball - Arizona high school scoring leader is late addition for Billy Gillispie.¬† Cameron Forte, a two-time Arizona first team all-state selection, has signed a scholarship to play basketball with Texas Tech University, announced Red Raider head coach Billy Gillispie.¬† "We are extremely excited to have Cameron be a part of our group," said Gillispie "He has a unique and special set of abilities for scoring the basketball for a player his size. Cameron is also one of the most versatile prospects I have seen. He can play a lot of positions. He plays the game with great emotion. I feel he will be able to fit in well with the other players we have returning and make an immediate impact on our team.¬† Forte, a 6-6 swingman, led Tempe (Ariz.) McClintock High School to the Arizona Class 4A state title in 2010 and a second place finish in the 4A Desert Sky Region in 2011. As a senior, he averaged a state-best 36.2 points and 12.7 rebounds. Forte also led the nation in scoring for several weeks this year before finishing sixth nationally. He averaged 21.9 points and 7.7 rebounds as a junior.¬†¬† READ MORE

Texas Tech Legend Jack Dale Dies At Age 79 - Dale served as the Voice of the Red Raiders for over 50 years.¬† Texas Tech University mourns the passing of broadcasting legend Jack Dale. Dale was the voice for Texas Tech football and basketball for over 50 years. He was 79.¬† Texas Tech Chancellor Kent Hance:¬† Texas Tech has lost a legend. For fifty years Jack Dale's voice conveyed stories of games won and lost, and we will forever be in his debt for all of those memories.¬† I had the pleasure to meet Jack when I was a Saddle Tramp, and I've considered him a good friend ever since. My thoughts and prayers go out to Jack's family and the entire Red Raider community.¬†¬† READ MORE

Football 101 Presented By State Farm Held at Athletics/Alumni Center - For the fourth year in a row, hundreds of Houston female football fans packed the Athletics/Alumni Center to take part in Football 101 for Women presented by State Farm.¬† The women-only event provided fans the opportunity to interact with the coaching staff, learn the fundamentals of football and even participate in some drills.¬† "This event is something that the staff and I look forward to doing every year," head football coach Kevin Sumlin said. "Even some of our wives come out to this event, it's a great experience. We want to teach them to have fun and join the conversation by learning about football."¬† "We must be doing something right with this event because despite the bad weather and early start time, we had a great turnout, there are lots of returning campers and they bring more of their friends each year."¬†¬† READ MORE

Opponent Preview:¬† Marshall - As we continue our Houston Cougars Opponent Preview series, this week we take a look at a struggling Marshall Thundering Herd team, who to be bluntly honest hasn't really produced much thunder in the world of college football lately.¬† In 2010 they would turn their hopes to first time head coach Doc Holliday. The Thundering herd would not get off to the best of starts, only winning one of their first 7 games and by one point at that, but they somehow managed to put it all together at the end of the season winning four of their last five and finishing the season with a 5-7 (3-4) record.¬†¬† READ MORE

Houston Selected First in C-USA West Division by Tulsa World's Preseason Media Poll - Cougars received half of the first-place votes.¬† The University of Houston football team was selected to win the Conference USA West Division, announced Thursday in the Tulsa World's preseason poll. Houston received 12 first-place votes and secured 127 total points.¬† The preseason poll, administered by the Tulsa World, was composed of 24 voters with each school represented by one print reporter that covers the team and one radio representative. C-USA does not conduct its own preseason poll.¬† Houston topped Tulsa (117 points), SMU (116), Rice (60), Tulane (42) and UTEP (42) in the West Division.¬†¬† READ MORE

Martens Named to C-USA Preseason All-Conference Team - Selected by a vote of league coaches.¬† Record-setting punter Kyle Martens has been named to the 2011 Conference USA Preseason All Conference team, as selected by the league's 12 head coaches and announced on Wednesday.¬† Martens set Rice season and career records last season while earning a spot on the AFCA All-America team as well as All C-USA honors from league coaches. He led C-USA and was third in the nation with a with a school-record 45.98 average on 52 punts, edging Steve Kidd's mark of 45.94 in 1985. He brings a career average of 42.7 which is over a yard better than previous school career mark of 41.4 by Jared Scruggs.¬† In addition to punting for a high average, Martens was one of the nation's most efficient punters. He placed 42% of his kicks inside the 20 (22/52) with 50% of those downed at or inside the 10. Seven times, he pinned teams inside the four with his efforts. He also averaged 51 yards per punt on five kicks from inside the Rice 18.¬†¬† READ MORE

Rice Announces 2011-12 Golf Schedule - Schedule highlighted by six events in South Texas.¬† While Justin Emil begins his first season as Rice University's golf coach, the schedule assembled for his inaugural season will include familiar territory for the Owls.¬† Rice will play a 10-event, regular-season schedule including the return to seven tournaments the Owls competed in last year. Rice will compete in four events during the fall season and play in six tournaments during the spring season prior to playing in the Conference USA Championship next April.¬†¬† READ MORE

Owls and Gallery Furniture Team Up to Offer Free Tickets to Military and First Responders - Available for all home football games.¬† Reserve Your Tickets.¬† Rice Athletics and Gallery Furniture are teaming up to allow members of the military as well as first responders who serve locally to enjoy the 100th season of Rice Football free of charge.¬† Members of all branches of the military, along with members of fire, police and rescue squads will be able to sign up for tickets for themselves and their immediate family by submitting a request online or by calling (713) 522-OWLS. Tickets can be picked up either in advance at the Tudor Fieldhouse Box Office or on the day of the game at Rice Stadium. Participants in the program will be asked for proof of affiliation when picking up their tickets.¬† "Thanks to the generosity of Gallery Furniture and Jim McIngvale, we are able to honor these individuals throughout the season," Rice Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan said. "We understand the sacrifices they make to protect our great country and its freedom, and we are proud to recognize them on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and honor them all season through this program."¬†¬† READ MORE

Line Nominated For Doak Walker Award - Preseason Honors Continue To Roll In For Junior Back, Mustang Teammates.¬† SMU junior Zach Line has been named a preseason candidate for the 2011 Doak Walker Award, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum announced today. The award is presented annually to the nation's top college running back. The award, in its 22nd year, is named for SMU's Heisman Trophy-winning, three-time All-America running back Doak Walker.¬† Line, an Oxford, Mich., native was named first-team All-Conference USA in 2010 after rushing for 1,494 yards, the second-largest single-season total in school history, trailing only Eric Dickerson's 1,617 yards in 1982. The tally was 11th in the country, and Line averaged 6.1 yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns on the year.¬†¬† READ MORE

M-Basketball: Selected For Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off - Mustangs Placed In West Regional With Stanford, Colorado State And Fresno State.¬† The SMU men's basketball team will participate in the 2011 Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off, NIT selection committee chair C.M. Newton announced on Wednesday. The Mustangs are assigned to the West Regional and will play their first two games Nov. 14-16 in Stanford, Calif. SMU matches up with Colorado State in the first round. Fresno State faces Stanford in the other opening round contest. ESPN will provide coverage throughout the event, televising games on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com. Games on ESPN and ESPN2 will be simulcast on ESPN3.com. This is SMU's second appearance in the Preseason NIT. The last was at the start of the 1998-99 season.¬†¬† READ MORE

Powell Named To COBRA Magazine All-Preseason Team - Two-time All-American becomes first Mustang ever selected.¬† SMU volleyball player Dana Powell was selected to the COBRA Magazine All-Preseason team, becoming the first Mustang to be named to the magazine‚Äôs preseason team.¬† ‚ÄúThis is a tremendous honor for a well-deserving student-athlete,‚ÄĚ head coach Lisa Seifert said of the announcement. ‚ÄúIt is very difficult to describe a person like Dana Powell. She is very intelligent, well-mannered, passionate, funny, honest and loyal, just to name a few of her character traits. She has been blessed with amazing parents and a great deal of athletic ability. It has been an honor to coach her, and we are lucky to have her at SMU.‚ÄĚ¬†¬† READ MORE

As Temperature Falls, So Do UTEP Football Season Ticket Prices - Fans will be able to purchase new season tickets the week of Aug. 8-12 at a special discount price.¬† UTEP fans will be able to purchase new football season tickets at a discount price Aug. 8-12 as part of a special weather promotion.¬† For that week only, new season tickets in the Bronze Reserved section will be available for the same price as the low temperature in El Paso on Saturday, Aug. 6 - the first day of the Miners' Socorro training camp. The official reading will be taken at the El Paso Airport.¬† The anticipated low that day, based on Weather.com's extended forecast, is 78 degrees.¬†¬† READ MORE

UTEP Releases Men's Basketball Schedule - The UTEP men's basketball non-conference schedule for the 2011-2012 season has been released, and to be honest its not all that beefy. It's a tad disappointing only because we need to be scheduling tougher opponents in order to be considered worthy come March, but its probably right on par considering how young our team will be. Not to mention, the Diamondhead Classic and Sun Bowl Tournament matchups are still to be announced.¬†¬† READ MORE

Buckram Released by Browns - The El Paso Times is reporting that former Miner RB Donald Buckram has been released by the Cleveland Browns. An "arthritic buildup" was found in Buckram's knee, and he wasn't cleared for training camp.¬†¬† READ MORE

Three More Frogs Headed To NFL Camps - Eleven members of TCU's 2010 senior class either drafted or a free-agent signee.¬† Three more TCU football players have received National Football League free-agent contracts, putting 11 members of the Horned Frogs' 2010 senior class in NFL training camps this summer.¬† Former tight end Evan Frosch is headed to the Cleveland Browns, defensive lineman Kelly Griffin to the San Diego Chargers and wide receiver Bart Johnson to the Cincinnati Bengals.¬† TCU had five draft picks this year to go with six free-agent signees.¬†¬† READ MORE

Frog Swimming and Diving Announces 2011-12 Schedule - TCU set to host four meets before Christmas holiday.¬† TCU swimming and diving coach Richard Sybesma announced his 2011-12 schedule, highlighted with a trip to South Bend, Ind., on Oct. 14 and 15.¬† The Horned Frogs open the 2011-12 slate with a 5 p.m., visit to the TCU University Recreation Center Natatorium from Centenary College (La.) on Oct. 7. Last year's meet with Centenary College was canceled due to inclement weather.¬† Both the men and women's squads travel to South Bend, Ind., on Oct. 14 and 15. The teams will take part in the Notre Dame Relays on Oct. 14, before taking on perennial power Michigan, Notre Dame and Oakland in a dual-meet Oct. 15.¬† The TCU women host New Mexico State on Oct. 21 in advance of the annual Varsity Alumni meet the following morning.¬†¬† READ MORE

Carder Tabbed MWC Preseason Defensive Player Of The Year - Boyce, Dooley and Maponga also receive Preseason All-MWC accolades.¬† TCU linebacker Tank Carder is the lone unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Mountain West Conference Team as well as the choice for Preseason MWC Defensive Player of the Year.¬† Also representing the Horned Frogs on the Preseason All-MWC Team are wide receiver Josh Boyce, offensive guard Kyle Dooley and defensive end Stansly Maponga.¬† The defending Rose Bowl champion Horned Frogs were picked second in the league standings. TCU returns 11 starters from last year's 13-0 team that finished second in the Associated Press and USA Today season-ending polls.¬†¬† READ MORE

Driving The Lane With Henson - Sophomore Meagan Henson sits down with GoFrogs.com.¬† Heading into her second season with TCU, sophomore Meagan Henson recently sat down with GoFrogs.com to talk about how the team has changed this summer and much more.¬† Henson saw action in 18 games during her first year in a Horned Frog uniform. She scored her first career bucket against UTSA in November, while also scoring her first career three against Air Force in TCU's final home game. The Oklahoma native scored a career-high four points against Texas Southern, while logging a season-high 13 minutes. Henson played nine minutes in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.¬†¬† READ MORE

Thoughts on Draylen Ross and a few notes - A couple of people have commented on the blog that Draylen Ross was signed by the Bears.¬† Yes, I know.¬† I just haven't had time to blog about it until now.¬† Ross is one of those classic feel-good stories. He was recruited as a tight end under the great Darrell Dickey, who recruited a lot of guys to be the next Andy Blount, the great receiving tight end of the bowl era.¬† UNT recruited a lot of guys to be the next Andy Blount.¬†¬† READ MORE

News, notes and thoughts on a busy day - It's been a pretty busy day and weekend in the land of the Mean and the Green. Now that I have everything written for both papers for tomorrow, here are some notes and thoughts.¬† The good news of the day is that Helen Cox linebacker Royce LaFrance has committed to UNT. He's UNT's best prospect on the board at this point. He had offers from Arizona and Southern Miss.¬†¬† READ MORE

UNT picks up Royce LaFrance - It took me a while, but I caught up with Helen Cox linebacker Royce LaFrance this afternoon. He has committed to UNT.¬† I will have a story in tomorrow's paper, but until then, here are a couple of tidbits.¬† He did go to UNT's camp last night and committed to the Mean Green over offers from Arizona, Southern Miss and Louisiana-Monroe.¬† He was recruited by Justin Gaines and projects as an outside linebacker.¬† LaFrance said that he felt comfortable at UNT and that he really liked the Mean Green's new staff.¬†¬† READ MORE

Big night at the stadium - I was given the OK last night to come by UNT's new stadium for one big recruiting event. UNT had about 300 high school juniors at the stadium under the lights.¬† It's nearly impossible to pick out individual prospects at an event like that, but I did see players from Guyer, Argyle, Kilgore, Waxahachie, Marcus, Wylie, Caddo Mills and Westwood.¬† There was a defensive back who came in from California.¬† UNT had highlights playing on the stadium replay board the entire night. It was a mix of NFL highlights, UNT promotional video and a few clips from the bowl era.¬†¬† READ MORE

Texas State All-Southland Football Team Blog - As Texas State Football makes the transition from the Southland Conference and the Football Championship Series (FCS) to the Western Athletic Conference and the Football Bowl Series (FBS) Brant Freeman and Bill Culhane put together their All-Southland Football team from 1987-2010.¬†¬† READ MORE

Viva Las Vegas! Bobcats to start WAC presence in Sin City - Texas State put down a hefty bet three years ago when it announced its decision to move to the Football Bowl Subdivision.¬† Seemingly going ‚Äúall-in‚ÄĚ with their aspirations, the Bobcats hoped the wager would pay off, and while it has, some didn‚Äôt expect the dividends to pour in so soon.¬† Since Feb. 2008, Texas State increased student athletic fees, built a swanky West Side Complex at Bobcat Stadium and started construction on an expansion that will nearly double the stadium‚Äôs size by the 2012 home opener.¬†¬† READ MORE

WAC Football Preview (Franchione's Plan) - Western Athletic Conference Commissioner Karl Benson briefly touched on Texas State head coach Dennis Franchione having a "plan" to ease scheduling in 2012 and possibly 2013 for the remaining schools. Benson didn't want to steal Franchione's thunder, declining to comment further.¬† Well, Franchione's plan was to have each team in the WAC play a "travel partner" twice, with the second game not counting towards conference standings.¬†¬† READ MORE

Volleyball: Getting To Know Molly Ahrens - Name: Molly Ahrens.¬† Year: Redshirt Freshman.¬† Position: Middle Blocker.¬† Hometown: Pflugerville, Texas.¬† Why did you choose Texas State?¬† "Texas State is such an awesome atmosphere! It's a great place to be successful in not only academics but volleyball as well"!¬† What are you looking forward to most this season?¬† "Winning the last possible Southland Conference championship"!¬† What do you do to get ready for a match?¬† "Before every match I make sure I have the right mindset. I listen to my iPod and set goals for myself".¬†¬† READ MORE

WAC commissioner talks big about UTSA, Texas St. - Conference is still picking up pieces, but Benson sees bright future for I-35 rivals.¬† One school has never played in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The other has never played football at all.¬† But for Texas State and UTSA, there will be no learning curve.¬† Not when the league they'll join, the Western Athletic Conference, needs them to serve as cornerstones of its latest rebuilding job.¬† It won't officially happen for another year, when they'll join the WAC for the 2012-13 season. But league commissioner Karl Benson couldn't wait that long, inviting Bobcats coach Dennis Franchione and UTSA's Larry Coker to Thursday's WAC football preview in Las Vegas.¬†¬† READ MORE

UTSA Football reality series to continue this weekend - The fourth episode of "UTSA Football: The Birth of a Program" will premiere at 4 p.m. on Saturday.¬† The fourth 30-minute installment of the six-part series can be seen on FOX Sports Southwest, which reaches more than 10 million cable and satellite TV homes in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana (check local listings for channel number).¬† The reality sports documentary series that began in May is chronicling the start of the Roadrunners' inaugural football campaign leading up to their season opener on Sept. 3 against Northeastern (Okla.) State.¬† The show offers an all-access look at how the UTSA football program was started from scratch two years ago by University President and San Antonio native Dr. Ricardo Romo and Athletics Director Lynn Hickey, the only female AD in Texas to oversee both men's and women's sports.¬†¬† READ MORE

WAC commissioner confident the worst is over - UTSA's future league seeks stability after volatile 15 months.¬† It was only fitting the Western Athletic Conference held its annual football preview at a casino, a place where fortunes can be won and lost with the flick of a wrist.¬† In a league already known for volatility, the WAC set a standard for itself over the past 15 months, losing four members while adding five, including UTSA and Texas State, in a bid for survival.¬† Major obstacles remain, but WAC commissioner Karl Benson had a message Thursday at the Orleans Hotel & Casino: Immediate disaster has been averted.¬†¬† READ MORE

Roadrunners Q&A with Amanda Lehotak - On July 1, Amanda Lehotak officially became the fourth head coach in UTSA softball history after a successful run at Jacksonville. Lehotak recently sat down with goUTSA.com to discuss her first month on the job.¬†¬† READ MORE